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Cancer survival rates on the rise in Northern Ireland

Despite the rising incidence of cancer in Northern Ireland, the number of people surviving the disease in the country is increasing significantly year on year.

29 Feb 2012

KCC's geriatric oncology symposium to take place on March 9

Approaches to treating elderly cancer patients are evolving as more of the population ages and the need for specialized care becomes more evident. To address these issues and others, national thought leaders in geriatric oncology will gather at a unique symposium at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson (KCC) in Philadelphia on Friday, March 9, 2012, where they will present an overview of the latest advances in the understanding and treatment of cancer in older adults in an effort to impact patient care.

29 Feb 2012

WUSM to study children with weakened immune systems

Not all viruses make us sick. But which ones are friends and which ones are foes? Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a five-year, $3.3 million grant to study children with weakened immune systems to identify the viruses that make children sick.

29 Feb 2012

First study to show effects of ecstasy drug on fetal and infant development

A study led by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, in collaboration with the University of East London UK, and Swansea University UK, is the first to show the effects of the drug ecstasy on fetal and infant development.

29 Feb 2012

NIH award to help MU students become more culturally competent and effective physicians

It is estimated that half of all deaths in the United States are linked to behavioral and social factors such as smoking, diet and physical inactivity. Despite these causal links, of the $2 trillion spent annually on health care in the U.S., only 5 percent of that is devoted to addressing behavioral and social risk factors.

29 Feb 2012

IDWeek 2012 to take place October 17-21 in San Diego

Abstracts are now being accepted for IDWeek 2012, the first-ever combined meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA), and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS).

29 Feb 2012

Obesity can decrease risk of mortality in people over 85 years of age

Obesity is considered the leading preventable cause of death worldwide - until you reach old age, that is. Though obesity increases the risk of an early death, shaving an average of six to seven years off a person's lifespan, Tel Aviv University researchers have found that this trend may reverse itself after the age of 85. In these people, excess fat seems to have a "protective" effect, decreasing the risk of death when compared to those who are considered at a normal body weight.

29 Feb 2012

DTMI, Bristol-Myers Squibb partner to broaden interactions

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Duke Translational Medicine Institute (DTMI) today announced the formation of a strategic relationship to broaden interactions between the two organizations.

28 Feb 2012

Silver Hill Hospital announces opening of Chronic Pain and Addiction Center

Silver Hill Hospital, the nationally recognized psychiatric hospital in New Canaan, CT, announces the opening of the Chronic Pain and Addiction Center, an intensive residential treatment program for patients with pain who have become addicted to opioid medications.

28 Feb 2012

FDA grants orphan drug designation to Ultragenyx UX003 for treatment of MPS 7

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for rare and ultra-rare genetic disorders, today announced that the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development has granted orphan drug designation for UX003 for the treatment of MPS 7.

28 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: Disabled 'disdain' a poisonous meme? Two sides on physician payments issue, letting Mich.'s community colleges train nurses

Disability advocates across the political spectrum strongly supported the 2010 health care reform. They had obvious reasons to do so. The new law provides protections for people with preexisting conditions, regulations to make sure insurers properly cover care for chronic illnesses and expanded coverage for young adults and low-income families. But more is at stake here than factual inaccuracies.

28 Feb 2012

TAK-875 - an emerging therapy for Type 2 diabetes

In a trial of 426 patients with Type 2 diabetes, TAK-875 reduced blood sugar below a pre-determined level in as much as 48 percent of those receiving it after 12 weeks, compared with 40 percent of those who took glimepiride, the older drug, according to findings published online by The Lancet medical journal. The research was presented in June at the American Diabetes Association’s annual meeting in San Diego.

28 Feb 2012

Stents not more beneficial than medications in stable coronary artery disease: Study

The placement of a stent to repair a narrowed artery in the heart has become routine worldwide. A new analysis of earlier clinical trials shows that inserting a stent has no benefit over standard medical care in treating stable coronary artery disease.

28 Feb 2012

Low levels of omega-3 in blood ‘ups’ risk of dementia and brain aging: Study

Researchers looked at 1,575 adults who averaged 67 years old and had no signs of dementia and had not had a stroke. They were given MRI brain scans and a battery of tests to measure memory and thinking abilities; they also had blood drawn to check the level of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or omega-3 fatty acids in their red blood cells. Those with the lowest levels of omega-3s showed signs of accelerated aging. They had lower brain volume, indicating shrinkage comparable to two additional years of aging. Compared with those with the highest blood levels of omega-3s, they scored lower on cognitive tests measuring such things as memory, problem solving, abstract thinking and multi-tasking.

28 Feb 2012

Active video games do not increase exercise in kids

Active video games have been promoted to help kids be more physically active. But a new study finds that having active video games in the home may not translate into more exercise.

28 Feb 2012

Initial stent implantation does not appear to improve outcomes for patients with stable CAD

A meta-analysis of eight previously published clinical trials suggests that initial stent implantation for patients with stable coronary artery disease is not associated with improved outcomes compared with initial medical therapy for prevention of death, nonfatal heart attacks, unplanned revascularization or angina, according to a study published in the Feb. 27 Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

28 Feb 2012

Study sheds light on why physicians mistakenly believe that poor people sue more often

Contrary to the common perception among physicians that poor people sue doctors more frequently, Ramon L. Jimenez from the Monterey Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Institute and his team demonstrate that socioeconomically disadvantaged patients, in fact, tend to sue physicians less often.

28 Feb 2012

Heat-related deaths in football players triple to nearly three per year between 1994-2009

Heat-related deaths among football players across the country tripled to nearly three per year between 1994 and 2009 after averaging about one per year the previous 15 years, according to an analysis of weather conditions and high school and college sports data conducted by University of Georgia researchers.

28 Feb 2012

Scientists discover new pathway necessary for infection to occur with N. gonorrhoeae

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have for the first time identified a novel pathway that is necessary for infection to occur with the pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which is responsible for the second most common infectious disease worldwide, gonorrhea.

28 Feb 2012

Blog examines sale of fake malaria drugs in Tanzania

In this post in Malaria Free Future's "Malaria Matters" blog, Bill Brieger, a professor in the health systems program of the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins University, examines recent discoveries of fake malaria medications being sold in Tanzania.

28 Feb 2012